Sustainable Intensification of

Smallholder Agriculture in

Northwest Vietnam:

Exploring the Potential of

Integrating Vegetables

Humidtropics

To Thi Thu Ha1,2, Pepijn Schreinemachers1,

Jaw-Fen Wang1, Nguyen Thi Tan Loc2, Le

Thi Thuy2, Le Nhu Thinh2, Fenton Beed3,

Andreas Ebert1, Narinder Dhillon3,

Ramasamy Srinivasan1, Peter Hanson1,

Lawrence Kenyon1, Ray-Yu Yang1, Victor

Afari-Sefa4

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1 AVRDC The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan 2 Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI) 3 AVRDC The World Vegetable Center, East and

Southeast Asia 4 AVRDC The World Vegetable Center, Eastern

and Southern Africa

General information of Northwest Vietnam

• There are 6 provinces with 10 million ha and 12

million people

• Potential for agriculture, forestry, and

aquaculture with natural resources

• The poorest provinces in the country due to:

– Mountainous topography at 80% of total land area

– Large distance from major markets

– Limited infrastructure

– Ethnic minority of more than half of the population

Agriculture activities in Northwest

Vietnam • Main crops are rice in lowland valleys and

maize monocropping on sloping land.

• Cash crops such as tea, coffee and rubber are

increasing

• Vegetables also play an important role

– Year-round production, especially temperate

vegetable crops.

– High market potential to lowland areas (Hanoi) and

neighboring countries (Lao, China).

– However, vegetable production is still small scale

and unstable.

Research objectives

To assess the potential of vegetables to

contribute to a sustainable system intensification,

income and nutrition of poor smallholder

households in Northwest Vietnam

Methodologies

• Assess the potential of vegetables in 2013

– Focus groups discussed with 60 vegetable

producers and consumers in Son La province, and

augmented with a survey of consumers in Hanoi.

– One-on-one interviews with 160 upland households

not currently growing vegetables on a commercial

scale in Son La and Dien Bien provinces.

Selection sites

Hanoi city

Dien Bien province Son La province

Map of Vietnam

Methodologies

• On-farm trials to identify suitable technologies

in Son La province in 2013 – 2014

– Variety trials: tomato, French bean, sweet pepper

and radish

– Integrated pest management trials: disease

diagnosis, sex pheromone and biopesticide use

– Homegarden demonstrations: crop management,

vegetable supply for household and donation.

Assessment of vegetable

potential for integration

Increasing demand of vegetable

consumption

• Volume quantity

• Off-season vegetables

• Diversified with indigenous vegetables

• Safe products: less residues of pesticides,

heavy metals and micro-organisms

Challenges:

•Consumers are not ensured of the safe vegetables

•The seasonality of vegetable prices

Retail prices of vegetables in Hanoi,

Son La and Dien Bien markets in

summer 2013

Tomato Cabbage H’mong

mustard

Zucchini French

bean

Lettuce Taro

Hanoi

19 - 25 15 - 24 15 - 25 10 - 30 10 - 25 15 - 50 19 - 29

Son La

7 - 13 5 - 10 7 - 12 8 -10 8 - 15 8 - 12 8 - 10

Dien Bien 5- 15 5 - 12 7 -10 8- 10 8 -10 6 - 12 7 - 10

Unit: 1,000 VND/kg

Assessment of vegetable

production in Northwest Vietnam • Increasing income generated from 30 to 50% of

total household income.

• Climate and land available to produce

vegetables all year round.

• Expanding markets in Son La city, Hanoi and

Laos.

Challenges:

• Weakness of production organization

• Lack of input materials such as seed and water

• Lack of technologies with pest and disease control,

cultivation and post-harvest handling

• Marketing and transportation capabilities

Field testing of suitable

technologies

NEW VEGETABLE CROP/VARIETY ON FARM TRIALS IN

NORTHWEST VIETNAM 2013-2014

Slide 14

TOMATO IPM TRIAL IN VIETNAM

Home garden demonstration

Conclusions • The vegetable demand is increasing in Hanoi

and the other provinces, especially during the

summer season.

• High potentials for vegetable production in

Northwest Vietnam.

• Suitable technologies of varieties and integrated

pest management were tested through on-farm

trials. Those technologies were adapted for

commercial production.

• Homegardens were introduced in the Northwest

Vietnam that can help the ethnic people grow

vegetables and increase nutrition in their diet.

Insert photo here

Farming system in Son La, Vietnam

Thank you for your attention!